To protect
by false
Summary: They had both failed to protect Maria. They had both taken revenge. As Shadow ran through the city, trying to escape his own thoughts, he meets a man with a very similar story...


A cross over of the Sega universe of Sonic the Hedgehog and Gungrave. I do not own either of these, so therefore I can't really be sued for writing this. Whoever would sue me would not get much anyway, of that they can be assured. If you disagree with the summary, I would say that Shadow did take revenge in one way. He did blow up Prison Island, so that if nothing else could be counted as an act of revenge.

* * *

It was late, past midnight if one had to venture a guess. The city of Station Square was, for the most part, slumbering for the night. One black furred Hedgehog was not however. Silently, Shadow skated through the abandoned streets, allowing his mind to wander as he moved without aim. Though he was tired, sleep was the last thing he wanted. It only brought memories of Maria back to him in the form of dreams, and those were painful. Too painful. She had died, and he had not been able to stop it from happening. That bullet should have hit him, and it pained him to think that someone as beautiful as her had died to save him. Seeing her face every night was hell, and at the same time he loved ever minute of it. It felt like she was there, with him, comforting him with her kind words. Her warm, soft arms would always make him feel content when she hugged him. It was pure bliss, but then reality would always strike him coldly in the face when he awoke. No, there would be no sleep for Shadow the Hedgehog. 

His mind had settled on visions of Rouge, Amy Rose, and the Faker. Those three always seemed to be on his mind for some reason, now that they had all parted paths. Rouge for Knuckles and her precious gemstones, Amy for chasing Sonic, and the Faker himself had returned to his carefree adventures.

"Blasted Faker…" He whispered the words, disapproving of the blue blur and all that he did. Unfortunately, his throat was dry from his constant running, and it pained him to speak even that whisper. Deciding that stopping for a minute and getting a drink of water might sooth him, the dark faced anti-hero slowed his pace. As luck would have it, a playground he was passing was equipped with a water fountain that sated his thirst quiet well. Deep, ravenous drinks from the public fountain soothed his throat. He sighed as he stepped away, looking up at the sky as he did. Up in the heavens was a star, one which he knew very well. One that was brighter than all the rest because it was closer, and in truth, it was not a star in the first place. The Space Colony ARK, with its massive dome shaped top, reflected a bit of light down on the planet, instantly reminding him of the girl.

"Maria…"

As if by fate, another person in the park knew that name as well. A man, previously unnoticed by Shadow, gasped at the name. With a deep, remorseful voice he repeated it.

"Maria."

The two turned and looked at each other, crimson Hedgehog eyes meeting with one orange tinted eye. Shadow's first observation was that the man only had one eye. Its twin was covered in a terrible scar that traced down his face, but was thankfully covered up by wisps of gray hair and a pair of glasses which bore a black cover with a white cross on the offending side. An unsmiling face seemingly glared at Shadow, who narrowed his eyes in return.

"What do you know about Maria?"

If at all possible, the man's gaze hardened further.

"Maria was killed."

The man spoke nothing more. The two descended into another silence until a small groan cam from the man's lap. Both immediately looked down, the man out of concern and Shadow out of curiosity. There was a girl using his lap as a pillow, who by Shadow's estimate was around fourteen years old. Her sleep was apparently restless, as she woke with a yelp. She soon calmed, however, when the man brushed her hair slightly.

"Sorry Grave… Nightmares again…" The man, apparently known as "Grave," merely nodded in understanding. The girl smiled in return, obviously used to his silence. What she wasn't used to was the presence of a Hedgehog. "Hey Grave? Who's that?"

Shadow stiffened for a second, but then relaxed. "My name is Shadow. It would be wise for you to try and get some sleep. Young girls need lots of rest."

Obviously still tired, the girl nodded. "Yeah. Good night… Mr. Shadow…"

After a few minutes the girl's breathing slowed slightly, letting the two dark figures know that she had once again fallen asleep. This time, in hushed tones, Shadow began questioning Grave.

"Were you there when she died?"

Grave shook his head negatively, keeping the rest of his body still as he did so.

Shadow sighed. Grave was a little too quiet, even for his tastes. "I see. I'm sorry. I don't really know who you are, but it would be best to stay away from the Military if you have any connection to that incident. They still seem apprehensive about me being free, and having someone else with knowledge about that on the loose isn't allowable in their minds."

Grave nodded his head once more, but instead of remaining still he reached below the large trench coat he was wearing and withdrew one of the biggest hand-held weapons Shadow had ever seen. It was obviously of a higher caliber than any standard-issue handgun, and from the looks of the weapon was really heavy. Grave moved it without much effort, which Shadow immediately took note of. Something that large took a tremendous amount of muscle strength to move one handed.

"Like Millennion, the military too will fall if they want to hurt Mika."

The black Hedgehog smiled. This man could take care of himself if he took down a segment of the military, or rather, what Shadow assumed was part of the military. Still, strength like that was hard to come by, especially if only one person held it. But, rather than question the source of Grave's strength, Shadow decided that he had spend enough time in one place. If GUN or some other branch of the military decided to pop up and attack them, it was unlikely that Grave would escape. Carrying a young girl and running at top speed was probably impossible, not to mention his heavy weaponry.

"I'd better be off. Can't stay in one place too long."

Grave nodded, but motioned for him not to leave. "I've… remembered something. I feel I should share it with you. To protect is to never betray. Never betray."

The words miffed Shadow a bit. Memories of his attempts to use the Eclipse Cannon had resurfaced over time, though not entirely. "I understand. Take care Grave."

Shadow began running once more, this time headed for the abandoned apartment complex he called home- for the moment anyway. As he did, began to mull over the encounter. Grave had been dead serious throughout the entire conversation, with the exception of when the girl, Mika, had awakened. Only then had he shown any form of friendliness. Their similarities were undeniable, as was the link in their past. That man, Grave, his voice held pain when it spoke Maria's name. Pain for loss, and anger because of that loss. Both of them had lost Maria. Both were on a path to vengeance. So similar, yet distinctly different. The black and red Hedgehog smiled.

'To protect is to never betray, huh? Grave, I hope we meet again. It was good to speak with someone who felt the same. Maybe I'm not as alone as I thought I was, even with Maria gone...'

Two heroes felt the same loss. Maria had disappeared from both of their lives, only to be replaced with vengeance. The Ultimate Life-Form and the Ultimate Hit-man. Little did they know that they had been talking about two different girls named Maria. Or were they…?

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This was meant to be a One-Shot, but I'm not sure if I want to end it just yet. Therefore, I left it a bit open at the end. Take it as you will, but please review. 

p.s.- If I do continue this, any updates will take a long while, as I do have other projects that require my attention.


End file.
